Q My netbook battery doesn't last very long -- are there any ways to get more than a few hours of power  between charges?
A Netbook battery life can range anywhere from less than two hours to almost seven, depending on the model and what the computer is doing. For example, watching videos with the screen brightness turned all the way up will usually drain the battery much more quickly than typing a report in a word-processing program.
Check the netbook's system settings or Control Panel area for power-management options designed to prolong battery life. Some models come with customized power systems designed to maximize battery life for that machine.
In general, dimming the screen brightness is one way to cut down on the netbook's battery consumption when you are away from an electrical outlet. Quitting unused programs and focusing on doing just one thing at a time -- like writing a blog post -- also cuts down on battery drain.
If you are not using the Internet, turning off the netbook's WiFi radio saves juice, as can turning off Bluetooth. Using USB-based hardware like mice, music players and flash drives with your netbook can also deplete battery power.
If you are not on the Internet and not using external devices, temporarily turning off your antivirus software and any other programs that run in the background can save energy . If you use Windows , keeping your netbook defragmented makes the hard drive have to work less -- which can save power, too.
If you find that you still need more time between charges than the netbook can give you, consider getting an extended-life battery. These batteries can add hours to the time between charges and are available online from battery sites. When shopping, make sure you get a battery that fits your netbook model. Prices average about $100.
Q I plan to get a backup drive for my Mac, but what do I do then -- just use the software that comes with it? Will that work on a Mac?
A Many external backup drives claim to support the Mac hardware but not all drives include Mac-compatible software, so check the product specifications closely. Some drives, like Verbatim's SureFire (bit.ly/24p7QP) for the Mac are already formatted for use with Time Machine, which is the backup program that comes with Mac OS X 10.5 and later; Apple has more on Time Machine at support.apple.com/kb/HT1427. (continued...)
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